Tales of the Lonesome
by BlueLunatone
Summary: Elle is intent on proving himself to the Pokemon world that he has what it takes to live up to his mother's legacy. However, that proves difficult when a plusle and minun, two of the weakest Pokemon in the Pokeuniverse, attempt to join his team. They stalk him, sabotage him, and sneak up on him when he least expects it. Will he ever find peace?
1. A Remembrance of the Past

Roxanne, one of the eight gym leaders of Hoenn, had an important duty. That is, to battle against any and all challengers, and upon defeat, gift to them the Stone Badge. Every day, every week, every day until she decided to devote herself entirely to her own dream.

That dream? It was already set in motion. Roxanne loved battling, but she loved to teach the schoolchildren about Pokémon even more. She had already set up an academy called "The Pokémon Trainer's School." It was a simple name, but a befitting one.

Roxanne smiled in anticipation. Today, her good friend, Steven Stone was coming over to visit. He had mentioned that he had a surprise for the kids. She wondered what it could be.

She stepped out of the gym, enjoying the warm breeze filtering through the urban city. It brought the spicy and tangible scents of the sea, nature, and moist soil. All sorts of scents just waiting to be tracked to their source. Roxanne closed her eyes.

The esteemed schoolteacher and gym leader relaxed, letting down her guard. It wasn't often that Roxanne let go of her strict demeanor, but there were times like this where it seemed like the best thing to do.

She drank in the tantalizing smells, and in her brain, she worked out where they had come from. The smell of dense vegetation had most likely blown in from Fortree City, where there was so much jungle that even the people lived in the trees. The smell of seawater had blown in from the southwest, so it must have come from Dewford Town's area.

A tall, shadowed figure stepped up behind Roxanne. Soft footsteps pounded against the pavement, but the gym leader didn't notice. Her eyes were still closed, lips pursed as she put her imagination to test.

The man chuckled softly and slid his slender fingers over her eyes. "Guess who," Steven Stone whispered into her ear.

"S-S-Steven!" Roxanne jumped. "She opened her eyes and glared accusingly at Steven. "Don't ever let me catch you assaulting me again, you uneducated pig!"

"Oink oink." Steven replied, letting out a helpless smile.

She sighed, and pressed two fingers to her temple, concentrating. "Very Well, Mr. Stone. Care to tell me about that little surprise you have in store?"

"I'm afraid not, but you won't have to wait long to see it," Steven promised. "Let's go see the children, shall we?"

Roxanne sighed again, and linked her arm with Steven's. "Let's," she answered, grinning.

The two walked off in the direction of TPTS, chatting happily.

"Lizabeth's son is in my class," Roxanne mentioned. "He's under so much pressure from the other kids to be more like his mother, but I'm afraid that competitive battling isn't his strong suit."

"I think I can help him a little," Steven said. He patted his suitcase.

"Is that your little surprise?"

"Perhaps," Steven chirped, and then looked away.

The scented breezes blew throughout the urban town, reminding it of the world beyond.


	2. A Lack of Respect

Rustburo City was a meticulous town, and its citizens were proud of its top notch cleanliness. The streets were clear of garbage, and the shrubs were primped daily by a gardener named Ophelia, a student of Ramos. The same could not be said of The Pokémon Trainer's School, however.

The classroom was in hideous disarray. Books lay open to random pages, knocked down from bookshelves. Doodles of stick figures floated around the messy room. Youngsters and schoolchildren were running around and joking merrily, rejoicing in the precious minutes before their teacher arrived.

Bam! Roxanne slammed the door open, frightening half the class into startled gasps. The children scrambled to their seats, hiding the fruits of their failures inside their desks. The class pet, an azumarill, squeaked anxiously.

Roxanne slid her ruby eyes across the room, surveying the damage. Ripped pages, open lunchboxes, untied sneakers…inside of the carefully controlled schoolteacher, a blazing anger raged.

"Would you kindly obey the school rules when I am gone, and not make visible fools of yourselves?" She hissed.

"Now now, Roxanne, they're only children," Steven waved his hands in worry. Suddenly, the whole class averted their attention so that they were focused on him. They whispered and flicked their eyes from the silver haired man to their own friends.

"Hey, who's the new sissy?" hollered a carrot haired kid from the side of the classroom. "Ew, look at his hair!" shouted another, "I bet he's a gazillion years old!"

A short little girl in braids ran to the front of the classroom. She looked up at Steven, eyes filled with curiosity…and stuck out her tongue.

Roxanne melted a little inside.

From the far back of the classroom, Elle surveyed the class. A white cap with a black Poke ball sign was perched atop his head. He was wearing a crimson T-shirt with a dusty yellow sweater. He had on indigo jeans and yellow and white striped sneakers. From a distance, Elle looked like an average youngster.

But upon closer examination, there were differences. He tugged nervously on his dirty blonde hair every few seconds, and his minty green eyes were constantly flickering here and there.

His grey backpack was stuffed with books, all of which were far more advanced than a kid his age could comprehend. Unlike the other children, who had brought stuffed pichus and Pokémon Rangers to play with, his desk was unnervingly empty.

But by far, the most obvious fact that set him apart from the other children…was that he didn't have a single poke ball on him. Not a single surskit, magikarp, or even zigzagoon…his parents hadn't given him a single Pokémon.

Steven glanced at the little boy sitting all alone. "Hm…" he mused.


	3. Surprise Unveiled

"Roxanne," Steven motioned towards the school teacher. "Is that him?" He pointed his finger at the back of the classroom, where a lone boy was fiddling with his hair. The piercing green eyes, that naturally unruly hair…he had seen those traits before in a very good friend.

"Excuse me?" Roxanne scanned the room. At last, she saw where Steven was pointing, and her features softened in recognition. "Yes," she stated, "that's Lizabeth's son. His name is Elle."

Elle flicked his eyes towards the duo, and Steven was momentarily unnerved by the defiant glare in his eyes. "Why don't I see any Pokeballs on the chap?" he asked, although he already knew the answer.

Roxanne snorted, uncharacteristically. "Steven, please stop playing dumb. You're Hoenn's champion, honestly." She folded her arms. "Why don't you go talk to him? If you're going to be like this, then you're not getting any answers from me."

"Alright then, I shall," Steven smiled.

He strode to the back of the room, and gingerly picked his way past the hastily arranged desks. "Sorry!" Steven yelped as he accidentally stepped on a youngster's toe.

The class erupted into silent giggles. "Children," Roxanne spoke warningly. However, she couldn't resist a small chuckle. The great and esteemed Steven Stone, reduced to this heaping mess. If only his father could see him now.

Elle looked up. A tall man with chiseled features and silver hair stood before him. "Huh?" He stammered. Elle was immediately put on guard. "Mrs. Roxanne, is this guy seriously the champion of all of Hoenn?"

Roxanne reddened, blushing a fearsome shade of pink. "Mr. Ledy, you are perfectly aware that I am an unmarried woman!" She twirled a few strands of her brunette hair between her fingers, and then stood up a little straighter.

He rolled his eyes. "But you're as old as a grandmother," he whispered, pouting. Steven whipped his head back to the boy, and faced him with steely eyes.

"Elle Ledy, is it?" Steven spoke harshly. "That is not how you refer to your teacher."

He had forgotten about him. This man was strange. One minute, he was gushing about the marvelous qualities of…rocks. The next, he acted like he was the smartest man in the Pokeuniverse.

"Well, Mr. Ledy, I am assuming that you have yet to receive your first Pokemon, am I right?" Steven asked the boy.

Elle lowered his head, ashamed, and pulled at his hair. "I-I don't wanna talk about it," he said softly.

"Well, how are you going to embark on a Pokemon journey then?" Steven remarked.

"What?" Elle raised his head, bewilderment splashed vibrantly across his face.

"Surely you have some dreams? Our whole world relies on Pokemon. Haven't you ever thought about the wonders you can accomplish with Pokemon at your side?"

"Yes…"

"That's the spirit!" Steven let out a warm smile and clapped his hand on Elle's back.

He opened his suitcase, and Roxanne finally saw what was inside of it. Many, many Pokeballs were carefully arranged inside. They glistened with a teasing gleam. There were heal balls, dusk balls, dive balls, all sorts. Roxanne counted up to sixteen total.

"Now, let's see…I believe Elle shall see my surprise first." Steven rifled through the case. He gently placed a few aside, and slowly brought out two Pokeballs from within his cache.

"Inside of these Pokeballs are two Pokemon," Steven calmly stated. "They are both very friendly and fun to be around, though they may be a bit overwhelming at times."

Steven held a Pokeball up to the light. It rocked gently, and stopped. Then it rocked some more. "It's happy to see you," Steven explained. That's a good sign.

Next, he held up the second Pokeball. "Huh?" Steven had a quizzical look on his face. "Oh, I see. Come, why don't you touch it?"

Elle peered suspiciously at the ball. "I suppose so…" he trailed off. Elle placed his palm on the ball, and felt a buzzing sensation. _It's vibrating!_ He realized.

"Inside one of these balls is a minun," Steven explained, "And in another is a plusle. They're lovely friends for young children like you. Good for contests, too. These were given to me by my good friend Wallace."

"Who?" Elle was completely confused.

"He's the gym leader of the Sootopolis Gym," Roxanne elaborated.

"So…" Steven held up the Pokeballs, at equal distance and height, both glistening with the thought of a brand new adventure. "Which one will you choose?"


	4. The Judgement

"They're both stupid," Elle muttered under his breath. The boy crossed his arms tightly, and stared angrily into Steven's eyes. He scuffed the floor with his striped sneakers.

The two were taken aback by the rude answer. Roxanne's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Why would you say that?" Steven asked.

Elle took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. "Isn't it obvious?" He sneered, pointing a finger at Steven, then Roxanne. "Plusle and minun are two of the worst competitive battlers in the entire Pokedex! Their abilities only work when they're both on the battlefield at the same time, and their stats are pathetically low."

He glared at the two pokeballs in Steven's outstretched hand. The pokeballs wobbled slightly, in a nervous manner.

"Nobody said that you have to use them for pokemon battles," Steven piped up. "As I mentioned, plusle and minun are very popular pokemon to use in contests."

"Contests are just as stupid," Elle sniffed.

"Contest Showcasers command great respect!" Roxanne cut in, her voice as sharp as a knife.

"I don't care for them." He glanced away, hesitating, and then flitted his eyes back.

Steven sighed. It was obvious that they were getting nowhere at this rate. The boy was too stubborn, just like his hard headed parents. "How about you spend some quality time with them? Then you decide on which one to pick."

"Not. Happening." Elle rolled his eyes disrespectfully.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. The only noises were the tick tick ticking of the clock.

"It is lunch break right now," Roxanne noted, looking at the time. "I propose that Elle spend his lunch break with the Pokémon. Perhaps they will find common ground."

"Hmm…" the silver haired man put his hand to his chin.

Steven grinned. He saw where this was going.

He clutched the two pokebals in his hand tightly. "Come out please, plusle, minun!" He pressed the buttons in the center of the pokeballs, and they enlarged.

A brilliant beam of light shot out of each pokeball. The two flashes of red contracted, and materialized into two rabbit-like creatures.

"Min! minun!" cried a blue and cream coated pokemon.

"Plu…plusle?" A similar pokemon, with red markings where the other one had blue, looked into Elle's eyes with a shy curiosity.

"Alright, children!" Roxane called. "It is now time for lunch. As you know, you may bring your pokemon out, but you may not use them in any kind of fight!"


	5. Screams, Laughter, Tears

"Minun!" cried the Pokemon as it jumped onto Elle's lap. It nuzzled Elle fondly, accidentally sending sparks of electricity into Elle.

"Cut it out!" Elle yelped, and swatted minun off. It hopped back onto the ground, and looked at him indignantly.

Elle sighed, and resumed chewing on his sandwich. It was a breezy day, and the other kids were having fun on the recess equipment. Everybody except him. Elle was too sophisticated to take pleasure in such childish activities.

He clenched his fists. It didn't matter what Ms. Roxanne and her idiot friend thought. He'd make it through the league, and emerge as one of top battlers in all of Hoenn!

Finally, everybody would treat him with the respect he deserved. All those books checked out of the library, all those hours spent poring over their pages. It would all be worth it, in the end.

But how could he become a half decent pokemon trainer with such annoying nuisances in the way? Elle wasn't kidding when he called plusle and minun two of the weakest pokemon of them all. Even those pikachus from Kanto were better than them!

Plusle sniffed his sneaker. "Get away!" he almost screamed. These two were such a bother! Ms. Roxanne was such a terrible teacher sometimes.

Elle closed his eyes, letting the breezy air drive the anger and disappointment away. How to get rid of these pests…how to persuade Mr. Stone that he had what it took.

Nothing came to mind.

He sighed and opened his eyes. His classmates were still running around like maniacs. Mr. Stone was examining the…rocks on the ground. Looking to his left, however, Elle saw a bloodcurdling sight! Ms. Roxanne was striding straight in his direction! _Oh no!_ He thought. She was going to murder him for his behavior.

But the calm and collected schoolteacher simply sat down next to him, on the old oak bench. "Elle…" Roxanne cautiously probed, "Would you…like to talk?"

Elle mumbled something incomprehensible.

"Now now, don't be like that," she chided. "Let's hear something in, I don't know, English?"

Elle grinned cheekily. "Je ne veux pas parler!" He sang out joyfully.

"That's the Elle I know!" Roxanne grinned. "Kalosian, correct?"

"Yeah," Elle began to feel the rush of excitement as he found an opportunity to test his skill. "My dad's from Kalos, so he taught me a bit!"

Roxanne giggled. Elle was usually such a bright and determined child, even if he didn't get along with the other kids. "Why were you so disrespectful to Mr. Stone today? It was very uncharacteristic of you."

He scrunched up his face in concentration. "Let me think…"

Roxanne leaned in, expectant.

"I was afraid that he might marry you, and then you'd go off and become a wussy girl!" He laughed evilly.

"…That actually…" Roxanne broke off. She was at a loss for words.

"Seriously though, I just didn't like how he acted like I was such a weakling," Elle cast his eyes downwards, looming blue shadows over his body. He gritted his teeth.

"Of course he doesn't think that!" Roxanne cried. "You're the smartest child in the entire class!"

"Why else would he give me such weak pokemon?" Elle shot back. Tears began to leak out of his eyes.

"Elle-"

The boy dashed off, wiping little teardrops from his face. Elle was shaking, wailing internally. He felt absolutely miserable. He cursed Steven Stone and his horrible "surprise."

He would show them, even if he had to do it alone.


	6. I'll Find a Bluer Blue

Elle dashed off towards the other side of the playground, where his classmates were playing on the equipment. Currently, they were endorsed in a carefree game of hide and seek.

He scanned the playground. A pair of orange sneakers flashed as their owner crawled up a nearby tree. Elle recognized the child as Avery, one of the slowest kids in the class. The children joked that his ability was oblivious, because he never seemed to be paying attention.

Elle clambered up the tree as well, and tugged harshly on Avery's foot. "Ow!" Avery squeaked, and glanced down questioningly.

"Hey," Elle whispered.

Avery rolled his eyes. "Why are your eyes so puffy?" he asked.

"Just-forget about it," Elle pinched himself behind his back. He wouldn't let anybody see him cry.

The two boys sat in the tree, silently. Even though it was a stupid game, it was nice to forget about Pokémon and focus on the more fun things in life. Minutes passed, and still nobody had found them.

Elle fiddled with a twig, and glanced up at the sky. It was so blue, and bright. He wondered if the ocean had blue that could rival it.

He had always wanted to visit the ocean. Water type Pokemon had always been his favorite. And there were so many regions to see by crossing the ocean.

One day, he would become a member of the Elite Four, if not the Champion. And then nobody would be able to stop him from journeying wherever he wanted.

But first, he'd have to make it to Littleroot Town and get a Pokemon. Not as if his parents would let him.

"You should get more familiar with Pokemon before you start your journey," Mom had said. She had reminded him, time after time, that he had many professions to choose from, and that he didn't have to become a battler.

But Elle knew that battling was the perfect thing. He knew so many strategies, so many battle formats. He had painstakingly memorized countless evolutions and abilities.

And he swore then, by the blue of the sky, that he would find an even bluer ocean. He'd conquer it.


End file.
